Pow Wow International 2007
UK operators and agents must start lobbying US car rental firms if they are ever to be able to introduce cross-border flydrive programmes featuring both the US and Canada.
Greater Rochester Visitors Association vice-president and director of marketing Gregory Marshall said while car hire customers can drive to Canada from the US, the fact that they must return their car to the country they started in limits the experience.
He believes only pressure from those running the programmes will force rental firms to make the changes that would allow, for instance, a car picked up in New York City to be dropped off in Toronto.
Marshall said: “The travel trade needs to ask for that – both the tour operators and travel agents in Europe have a lot more clout than we do.”
He added consolidation in the car hire market with the purchase of National by Enterprise would also make the introduction of such itineraries easier.
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